The Los Angeles Chargers‘ situation is a tough one for fantasy football managers to judge this season. With Jim Harbaugh in for his first year as head coach and a very different-looking receiving corps, there’s not much known about this group entering 2024.
Who will be the No. 1 WR on the depth chart, and how many fantasy-relevant pass catchers can this historically run-dominant offense sustain?
Let’s examine the fantasy outlooks for Ladd McConkey, Joshua Palmer, DJ Chark Jr., and Quentin Johnston as we attempt to answer the questions above and others currently swirling in fantasy managers’ minds.
Ladd McConkey’s Fantasy Outlook and Projections
- PPR Fantasy Points: 206.7 (138.4 non-PPR)
- Receptions: 68.3
- Receiving Yards: 1,024.9
- Receiving TDs: 5.7
In case you’re not familiar with his game from his college days with the Georgia Bulldogs, McConkey is a versatile, lightning-quick, explosive playmaker. He can threaten defenses vertically with his 4.39 speed or cause trouble for ill-equipped defenders who can’t keep up with his elite short-area burst. He’s also a threat as an underneath RAC (run after catch) threat or as a ball carrier with designed rushing touches.
The raw athleticism alone is enough to get you excited about McConkey’s potential in the NFL. However, where he really stands out as a candidate to lead the Chargers in targets as a rookie is his diverse release package and elite ability to create separation as a nuanced route runner.
McConkey’s current ADP is No. 96 overall (WR40 off the board), in the same area as Xavier Worthy, Jordan Addison, and DeAndre Hopkins. Frankly, I’d rather have McConkey over all three of them. My reasoning is that McConkey is simply in a better situation.
Worthy will compete with Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice for targets, and Hopkins is an aging player competing with Calvin Ridley for looks from a mostly unknown commodity under center in Will Levis.
Like Worthy, Addison is potentially a second, or even third, option behind Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson.
McConkey has the best target-share opportunity and the best quarterback situation of the bunch. Nabbing him at the end of the eighth round feels like stealing if he can manage to stay healthy in 2024.
– Derek Tate, Fantasy Football Analyst
Joshua Palmer’s Fantasy Outlook and Projections
- PPR Fantasy Points: 181.4 (112.0 non-PPR)
- Receptions: 69.3
- Receiving Yards: 859.3
- Receiving TDs: 4.2
Last season, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams struggled to stay on the field together. If even one was hurt, that elevated Palmer into a starting role.
Over the past two seasons, Palmer averaged 10.6 and 10.7 fantasy points per game, respectively. Injuries limited him to 10 games last year, but he still posted double-digit fantasy points six times, averaging 9.5 yards per target and 15.3 yards per reception in the process. That’s mighty impressive for a guy who was supposed to be his team’s WR4.
Palmer’s ADP is WR57, which puts him at No. 152 overall. I have him ranked at WR51, which isn’t that far above the consensus this low in the rankings.
I like Palmer. He’s a solid player and a near-certainty to outperform his ADP. There’s definitely value in getting WR3 production from your fantasy team’s WR5.
With that said, even at his price, there are other players with top-24 upside. I don’t see that with Palmer. The type of production he’s historically provided is pretty replaceable. You can pick up 10 points per game. We know this because Palmer has literally been the guy you pick up the past two seasons.
I’m fine with drafting Palmer. He will probably be a useful player and a great guy off your bench or to fill in for bye weeks. However, I don’t see any significant upside here.
If you wanted to select some of the more volatile players I have ranked below Palmer instead of him, I wouldn’t fault you at all.
– Jason Katz, Fantasy Football Analyst
Quentin Johnston’s Fantasy Outlook and Projections
- PPR Fantasy Points: 134.2 (80.0 non-PPR)
- Receptions: 54.3
- Receiving Yards: 615.5
- Receiving TDs: 2.9
The 2023 first-round pick underwhelmed in virtually every metric last season, but that sort of commitment doesn’t disappear after one underwhelming season. With Allen and Williams no longer on this roster, there is no shortage of targets to be earned in an offense that features a quarterback we all trust.
The Bolts project as a run-heavy unit under Harbaugh, which limits the appeal of any Los Angeles receiver. McConkey and Palmer are the top that profile best in terms of target earning entering the season, something that makes Johnston a wait-and-see player. The veteran Chark may have already played his best football, but he mirrors the size of Johnston and has the benefit of having scored on 10.8% of his career receptions.
I wouldn’t outright dismiss the idea of Johnston mattering later this season, but that doesn’t mean you have to leave your draft with him.
– Kyle Soppe, Fantasy Football Analyst
DJ Chark Jr.’s Fantasy Outlook and Projections
- PPR Fantasy Points: 110.6 (80.9 non-PPR)
- Receptions: 47.9
- Receiving Yards: 478.9
- Receiving TDs: 4.0
As he joins his fourth team in four seasons, Chark is holding onto an NFL job by a thread. That said, he did manage to score five times last season for an inept Carolina Panthers offense, giving us some hope that he can, at the very least, fill a red-zone role in this Chargers offense that is looking for all the support it can get in the passing game.
A spike game here and there is possible, but likely following an injury that opens up opportunity. It’s common to chase scoring equity when dealing with injuries/bye weeks — Chark is a dart to throw when pressed into a decision like that, but likely not before.
– Soppe